Improved health and hygiene in the United States and other countries has become a major concern. With the spread of disease and viruses, people are demanding a safer and cleaner environment. Water quality is a major component for improving our health and safety standards. Many water sources are of substandard quality and are becoming increasingly polluted. Most water supplies contain at least trace amounts of contaminants, such as hazardous chemicals, bacteria or suspended particles. Whether public or private, all water supplies are at risk of being polluted by contaminants. The contaminants may cause unpleasant odors, eye irritation, sickness, skin rashes, or with long term exposure, cancer. Some chemical contaminants may be absorbed through the skin while showering. A need exists for a device to purify shower water.
Odors are particularly noticeable in shower water because the warm water spray on the user promotes water evaporation, produces droplets, and creates a fine mist which permeates the air and is ingested. Due to the enclosed confines of a shower, odorous substances enter the air and are sensed at higher levels than water from a faucet. A need exists for a shower filter that can eliminate water odors.
People use different techniques to purify the water so that it can be used for drinking, cooking and bathing purposes. The installation of water purification systems and the use of bottled water is becoming increasingly popular. Many chemicals, such as chlorine, are added to the water supplies to purify the water. A shower filter with a filter media, such as activated charcoal, substantially eliminates chlorine odor and other odors by removing the odorous substances from the water before the water is ejected from the shower head. To prevent the growth of bacteria or fungus in the shower head or shower area, a shower filter may also add a bactericide or fungicide to the water. A need exists for a shower filter that can purify water and the entire shower area.
Most shower pipes are installed at a sufficient height for the average person. Many known shower filters protrude from their connection to the water pipe or cause the shower head to be positioned lower in the shower and farther from the wall. The new arrangement results in a reduction of available headroom and general shower space. The reduction in shower space increases the possibility that users will have to lean over to position their head beneath the water discharge area. A need exists for a shower filter that does not reduce the headroom beneath the shower nozzle.
For many years, filters placed at a shower head have been available for purchase. Included within current patent literature are many devices which are directed to the basic concept of filtering the shower water.
The Farley patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,464, issued in 1992, discloses a shower filter assembly. The filter housing is generally toroidal with a recessed inlet that leads into an internal chamber. The water travels through a filter screen and impinges upon a baffle which deflects the water laterally into an filter medium. The outlet includes a shut-off valve and a mounted shower head. The baffle in the Farley patent directs the water through a narrowed opening into the filter medium, which is likely to result in displacement of the filter medium and flow channeling, thereby reducing the filtering efficiency of the filter.
The Underwood patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,011, issued in 1991, discloses a shower decholorinator using granulated copper alloy filter material. The cylindrical device is coupled between the feed pipe and the shower head. The patent discloses two filters perpendicular to the direction of water flow and a filter media with a serpentine flow path; however, the filter screens do not cover a large surface area. The patent does not radially disperse nor redirect the water flow and does not employ a generally toroidal housing.
The Brink patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,204,770, issued in 1965, discloses a portable water softener. The device is toroidal in shape with a filter media, between two screens, that allows for a serpentine flow path. The water is radially divided into four quadrants and is redirected by a splash plate. The velocity of water causes a violent mixing action which allows a free water flow that contacts all of the particles in the container and all sides of the particles.
The Kolpacke patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,480, issued in 1993, discloses an accumulator for vehicle air conditioning systems. The accumulator contains an inlet port, outlet port and a desiccant container, through which incoming refrigerant flows. The incoming refrigerant is initially directed against a screen and an underlying filter covering the desiccant container. All of the refrigerant pools in the bottom of the accumulator, where it is evaporated into the low pressure atmosphere of the accumulator. The suction created by the compressor draws the oil and refrigerant mixture up through the first end and through the quill, after which the mixture is metered back through a second end. This patent shows a toroidal geometry and serpentine flow. The filter media in this patent is very thin and operates based upon an evaporation process.
The Gelman, et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,438, issued in 1977, discloses a water filter device. The patent contains a water filter and a removable water filter cartridge having three layers of varying pore sizes. The water is radially dispersed before entering the filter. Again, this patent shows a toroidal geometry and serpentine flow. The filter media in this patent is very thin and the water is not fully redirected. This patent also does not contain a filter media coupled between two filter screens.
The Stern, et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,078, issued in 1989, discloses a water filter cartridge. The cartridge has a closed housing with an inlet and outlet formed on the same surface. An elongated sleeve of filter material distributes the filtration over a considerable area instead of concentrating it in a relatively small area. Because the inlet and outlet is on the same surface, the filter would not be able to envelope the feed pipe, but instead, must be located to the side of the feed pipe. The water is not redirected before entering the filter media and the filter media is not coupled between two filter screens.
The Farley patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,224, issued in 1994, discloses a fluid treatment device. The device contains a one piece filter assembly with a reusable filter and a removable diverter/screen element for adding or removing zinc. The inlet element redirects flow horizontally before entering the filter media. The redirected water flows directly into the filter media instead of flowing along a vertical path.
The Robinson patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,688, issued in 1993, discloses a shower water filter assembly. A cavity portion of the housing, containing the filter element, is laterally displaced from the inlet and outlet along the line of the shower pipe. The filter element can, therefore, be located vertically above the water inlet and outlet, so the height of the shower head is not reduced by the interspersed filter assembly. The patent redirects the water into a filter media with a serpentine flow but no filter screens are incorporated into the system. The filter media provides a large surface area; however, its hollow cylindrical shape does not allow for a thick body of filter medium.
The Eger, et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,427, issued in 1993, discloses shower filters and accessories. The patent contains a filter and bypass adapter which allows the filter to be displaced from the direct line leading from the feed pipe. Simultaneous operation of two couplers is possible. The housing may hold cosmetic containers. The device of this patent is not toroidal in shape and is not entirely coupled between the feed pipe and the shower head, so the device occupies extra space in the shower.
The Chambers patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,553, issued in 1991 discloses a shower head assembly with a valve to selectively control fluid flow through the shower head. The upper inlet conduit mounts to an existing shower head. A flexible hose is mounted to the outlet conduit for a dental cleaning operation. Because the device mounts to the existing shower head, a large displacement of the shower head occurs. The water inflow is not redirected before entering the filtering section of the apparatus, but is in-line with the longitudinal axis of the filter.
The Rundzaitis, et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,080, issued in 1990, discloses a housing with replaceable filter cartridge for use with a shower head. The device is installed between the plumbing pipe and the shower head and may be adapted for different filter cartridges. A three position valve can adjust the flow of water. The patent allows serpentine flow through the filter media, but it does not radially disperse the water before entering the filter. The filter disclosed in this patent is not toroidal in shape and, therefore, does not accommodate the feed pipe, but instead, extends from the shower assembly and occupies extra space in the shower.
The Strand, et al. design patent, U.S. Design Patent No. 348,921, issued in 1994, discloses a combined water filter, flow regulator and shower head. The Geneve, et al. design patent, U.S. Design Pat. No. 313,266, issued in 1990, discloses a shower filter. The Underwood design patent, U.S. Design Patent No. 316,136, issued in 1991, discloses a combined shower head and filter. The Kerr design patent, U.S. Design Patent No. 307,789, issued in 1990, discloses a shower filter. All of these design patents show a filter that is coupled between the feed pipe and the shower head. The devices described in the patents are not toroidal so they do not envelope the feed pipe, but instead, extend from the shower assembly and occupy extra space in the shower.
The foregoing patents indicate that while conventional shower filter devices exist, they each suffer from the principal disadvantage of impinging significantly upon the shower headroom by extending, unnecessarily, the length of the shower head feed pipe. The present shower filter contains important improvements and advances upon conventional shower filter devices by offering a housing which minimizes extension in the headspace of the user while maximizing the filter medium surface area for water filtration.